CLARION, Pa. – Senior captain Sam Costello (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) netted her first-career hat-trick in the first half to give the Kutztown University women's soccer team a nice cushion to cruise to a 4-0 victory over Clarion University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) game from Memorial Field. Tuesday night's win gives head coach Erik Burstein his 100th victory in the Maroon and Gold, making him the eighth coach in the history of the conference to reach the milestone.
 
Costello only needed three shots to score all three of her goals in the first half, with assists from Sam Busillo (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) and Logan Kramer (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor (Arkansas State)) on the first and third, respectively. It is the first hat-trick in Costello's successful career at KU, and she now leads the team in points (14) and assists (4), while sharing the goals lead with Diana Malanga (Lavallette, N.J./St. Rose) (5).
 
Rubi Mink (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) tallied the insurance goal 13 minutes into the second half to secure the win for Kutztown.

Costello now has 10 points in the last three games, and joins Malanga and Mariah Dimm (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) in a trio of Golden Bears to net hat-tricks so far this season.
 
Kutztown (9-3, 8-3 PSAC) has now win six-straight games and has not allowed a goal in its past four. Equally as impressive, the back line held Clarion (3-9-1, 3-9-1) to only one shot tonight and it missed the target.
 
The offense has found a way to consistently create opportunities, while the defense is in top-notch form. In the past four games, the Golden Bears have out-shot their opponents 95-16.
 
Deanna Messner (Willow Grove, Pa./Archbishop Wood) got the start at goalkeeper for KU, with Jess Campbell (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley) making her first appearance of the season in relief.

Notably, Kutztown remained as the fourth-ranked team in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/ Continental Tire NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Poll this week, released on Tuesday. However, the NCAA regional poll released later in the season will play the deciding factor in regional playoff seeding's.
 
The Golden Bears will return home this weekend for Senior Day on homecoming weekend. KU will take on Indiana (PA) at Keystone Field on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 12 p.m. Six seniors will be honored during the pregame ceremony.